National Security

Israel Frees Iran Chemical Weapons Supplier

Israel on Monday freed a man imprisoned for 14 years for providing Iran with sensitive substances and technical knowledge on their alteration for use in chemical armaments, TheJerusalem Post reported.

Nahum Manbar was found guilty in 1997 and sentenced to 16 years in prison for his actions, which also included his agreement in a $16 million contract to assist Iran in building chemical-arms manufacturing sites, according to the newspaper. Manbar committed the infractions from 1990 to 1994, despite his pledges to end interactions with Iran.

Israeli authorities freed Manbar sooner than planned after determining that he was no longer a danger. Israeli Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein informed a panel that he would not contest the move, although the government had denied Manbar's two previous bids for freedom based on his compliance with prison officials.

Manbar consented to confinement within Israel's borders and to bans on interacting with reporters or non-Israeli nationals and on carrying out weapons transactions.

"He was released on Monday afternoon, after Israel's Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein decided to give him a pardon for good conduct," Israel Prison Service spokeswoman Sivan Weizman told China's Xinhua News Agency.